Cal Raleigh has been getting a lot of unwanted attention this spring for refusing to fraternize with opponents during Team USA’s run at the World Baseball Classic. In Friday night’s quarterfinal against Canada, the notorious handshake snub saga continued when Raleigh appeared to refuse to fist bump Canada captain and Mariners teammate Josh Naylor at the plate.
Before baseball fans get into another heated frenzy, there is some crucial context here. Hours before Raleigh seemingly declined the fist bump in the first inning of the game, he allegedly already told Naylor not to do it.
Naylor spoke to reporters after the United States’ 5-3 win in the WBC quarterfinal in Houston and explained why there was nothing inherently petty about the incident.
“We were all just joking. Trying to really make light of the situation,” Naylor said of Raleigh’s refusal to fist bump him. “I texted him before that I was going to do it. He said, ‘Please don’t.’
“But me and Cal are really good friends. He’s an awesome teammate, honestly, one of my favorite teammates I think I’ve ever had in my career. ... I was really, really happy to get traded to the Mariners last year and kind of experience being in a locker room with him, and just being his teammate and going to dinner with him off the field and stuff. So yeah I love him and I was honestly just super joking. He’s like, ‘Good to see you brother,’ and I was like, ‘Good to see you too.’ I mean it is what it is.”
Josh Naylor said he texted Cal Raleigh before the game and told him he was gonna offer him a fist bump
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) March 14, 2026
Cal said “please don’t” 😂 pic.twitter.com/D9BVMjFPSS https://t.co/j22zM4gdo8
Like Raleigh said of his viral moment with Mariners teammate Randy Arozarena, Naylor insisted the whole thing wasn’t a big deal and that they would go back to being friendly after the World Baseball Classic was over.
What Cal Raleigh said about his viral handshake snub vs. Mexico’s Randy Arozarena
Less than a week ago, Raleigh made headlines for refusing to shake Arozarena’s hand at the plate during Team USA’s 5-3 victory over Mexico. The Mariners catcher quite literally left his Seattle teammate hanging and afterward, Arozarena went on a profanity-laden rant directed at Raleigh:
“What he needs to do is go f--- himself,” Arozarena told reporters after the viral snub, via a translator. “Mexican-style: he can go f--- himself. And in English, I'm gonna say it to him in English. That 'good to see you' he gave me? He can shove it up his a--.”
It’s still unclear whether Arozarena was serious or not, as he hasn’t yet reported to Mariners camp following Mexico’s WBC elimination and hasn’t addressed the incident since.
Raleigh, for his part, brushed off the rumored drama and claimed there was “no beef” between him and Arozarena.
“I have a responsibility to to my teammates and the country to be focused and locked in,” Raleigh said. “And like I said, there's no harm or no bad blood. There's nothing behind it. It doesn't matter who's on the other side.”
The Team USA star catcher has clearly been keeping his word and refusing to shake hands or bump fists with any U.S. foe, MLB teammate or not. Raleigh and the United States will face the Dominican Republic in the WBC semifinals on Sunday night (and we’d expect Raleigh to act the same toward DR centerfielder and Mariners teammate Julio Rodríguez when he steps up to the plate).
“I like joking with my teammates, and he’s an awesome friend of mine,” continued Naylor. “I love Cal and wish him the best. I can’t wait to see him and joke about it with him in the locker room when we get back to Arizona.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Cal Raleigh Isn’t the Villain in Latest Fist Bump Snub With Josh Naylor at WBC.
